Protocol based computer network content transmission based on client computing device parameters

ABSTRACT

A content management system server can obtain a protocol based data transmission via a computer network from a script that executes at the publisher device server, and can obtain search result content items from an index of electronic documents that include snippets of text extracted from the search result content items and that include hypertext links to the search result content items. The system can extract feature vectors and document identifiers of the search result content items, and can determine information retrieval scores of search result content items. Based on the network identifier, location probabilities of device locations can be ranked and compared to thresholds. The system can determine a confidence threshold representing a minimum degree of certainty of the geographical location of the devices and can select content for protocol based transmission accordingly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/298,216,filed Mar. 11, 2019, which claims the benefit of priority under 35U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/378,731, filed Dec. 14, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority asa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/759,721, filedFeb. 5, 2013. Each of the foregoing applications are herein incorporatedby reference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to content presentation.

Content providers provide content in different forms in order to attractconsumers. Such content is designed to be used in whole or part by auser, for example, a particular consumer. Additionally, such content canbe provided in electronic form. For example, such content can beprovided on a web page, together with search results, or within a mobileapplication.

SUMMARY

This specification describes technologies relating to contentpresentation.

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods for providing third partycontent. The method includes the actions of receiving, in associationwith a content request, a network identifier, the network identifiercorresponding to a network location of a device from which the contentrequest originated, processing, with one or more processors, the networkidentifier to determine one or more probabilities, each of theprobabilities reflecting a likelihood that the network locationcorresponds to a respective geographic location, ranking each of the oneor more probabilities relative to one another, comparing the one or moreprobabilities with one or more probability rank thresholds, each of theone or more probability rank thresholds being associated with one ormore content items, selecting, based on the comparison of the one ormore probabilities with the one or more probability rank thresholds, atleast one of the one or more content items, and providing the at leastone of the one or more content items to the device.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example content presentation system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system for providing third partycontent.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example process for providing third partycontent.

FIG. 4 depicts FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary IP address from which acontent request originates.

FIG. 5A depicts an exemplary text content item.

FIG. 5B depicts an exemplary adjusted text content item.

FIG. 6 depicts exemplary click through rates for a content item withrespect to their respective geographic locations.

FIG. 7 depicts another exemplary IP address from which a content requestoriginates.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a computing device and a mobile computingdevice that can be used in connection with computer-implemented methodsand systems described in the present specification.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

By way of overview and introduction, it can be advantageous for contentproviders, such as advertisers, to deliver content that is directedtowards one or more geographic locations. In various content deliverysystems, the geographic location from which a content request (such asan ad request from a website or ‘app’) originates is determined based onthe IP address of the requesting device using various IP geolocationtechniques as are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. However,in many circumstances such techniques cannot determine with absolutecertainty the geographic location from which the content requestoriginated. Rather, these techniques provide several possible geographiclocations together with respective degrees of likelihood that thecontent request originated from such a location. As such, it can beadvantageous for content providers to configure various aspects of theircontent delivery operations to account for this inherent lack ofcertainty. For example, certain content providers may wish to broadenthe geographic area with respect to which their content items areeligible for delivery while other content providers may wish to directtheir content items only to a narrow/focused geographic area.Accordingly, described herein in various implementations are variousmethods that enable the delivery of geographically directed content inresponse to content requests determined to have originated from anynumber of possible locations.

While reference will be made below to advertising systems and processes,other forms of content including other forms of sponsored content can bemanaged and presented in accordance with the description below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example content presentation system100. In some implementations, one or more third party content providerssuch as advertisers, using content provider devices 102, can directly,or indirectly, enter, maintain, and log third party content informationsuch as ad information in a content management system such as system104. Though reference is made to advertising, other forms of content,including other forms of sponsored content, can be delivered by thesystem 100. The ads can be in the form of graphical ads, such as bannerads, text-only ads, image ads, audio ads, video ads, media ads,interactive ads, ads combining one or more of any of such components,etc. The ads can also include embedded information, such as links,meta-information, and/or machine executable instructions.

One or more first party content providers such as publishers, usingpublisher devices 106, can submit requests for third party content itemssuch as ads to the system 104. The system 104 responds by sending thirdparty content items to the requesting publisher device 106 for placementon, or association with, one or more of the publisher's content items(e.g., web properties such as web pages). It should also be understoodthat in certain implementations, third party content items such as adscan be provided in a substantially similar manner in television andradio content slots (such as advertising slots), and/or print mediaspace.

Other entities, such as users, using user devices 108, and third partycontent providers such as the advertisers, using content providerdevices 102, can provide usage information to the system 104, such as,for example, whether or not a conversion (e.g., a purchase or otherinteraction including, for example, a request for driving directions toa location associated with a third party content item such as an ad,navigating to the location associated with a third party content itemsuch as the ad, or walking to the location associated with a third partycontent item such as the ad) or a click-through related to a third partycontent item such as an ad (e.g., a user has selected a third partycontent item such as an ad) has occurred. This usage information caninclude measured or observed user behavior related to third partycontent items such as ads that have been served. It should be noted thatin situations where personal or identifying information is collected,users may be provided with the ability to control whether suchinformation is collected, the extent to which such information iscollected, and/or the extent to which a user can be identified based onit. For example, a user can select an option whereby any personal oridentifying information is immediately aggregated with that of otherusers such that such information cannot subsequently be associated withor otherwise identify the individual user. The system 104 can performfinancial transactions, for example, crediting first party contentproviders such as the publishers 106 and charging third party contentproviders such as the advertisers 102 based on the usage information.

A network 110, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network(WAN), the Internet, one or more telephony networks or a combinationthereof, connects content provider devices 102, the system 104,publisher devices 106, and user devices 108.

One example publisher device 106 is a general content server thatreceives requests for first party content (e.g., articles, discussionthreads, music, video, graphics, search results, web page listings,information feeds, etc.), and retrieves the requested first partycontent in response to the request. The content server can submit arequest for third party content such as ads to a content server such asan advertisement server in the system 104. The third party content itemrequest can include a number of third party content items such as adsdesired. The third party content item request can also include contentrequest information. This information can include the content itself(e.g., page, video broadcast, radio show, or other type of content), acategory corresponding to the content or the content request (e.g.,arts, business, computers, arts-movies, arts-music, etc.), part or allof the content request, content age, content type (e.g., text, graphics,video, audio, mixed media, etc.), geo-location information, etc.

In some implementations, the content server or a client browser cancombine the requested first party content with one or more of the thirdparty content items such as ads provided by the system 104. The combinedfirst party content and third party content items such as ads can besent/rendered to the user devices 108 that requested the content forpresentation in a viewer (e.g., a browser or other content displaysystem). The content server can transmit information about the thirdparty content items such as ads back to the content server, includinginformation describing how, when, and/or where the third party contentitems such as ads are to be rendered (e.g., in HTML or JavaScript™).

Another example publisher device 106 is a server that provides a searchservice. A search service can receive queries for search results. Inresponse, the search service can retrieve relevant search results froman index of documents (e.g., from an index of web pages). Search resultscan include, for example, lists of web page titles, snippets of textextracted from those web pages, and hypertext links to those web pages,and can be grouped into a predetermined number of (e.g., ten) searchresults.

The search service can submit a request for third party content itemssuch as ads to the system 104. The request can include a number of thirdparty content items desired. This number can depend on the searchresults, the amount of screen or page space occupied by the searchresults, the size and shape of the third party content items, and/or avariety of other factors. In some implementations, the number of desiredthird party content items will be from one to ten, or from three tofive. The request for third party content items can also include thequery (as entered or parsed), information based on the query (such asgeo-location information, whether the query came from an affiliate andan identifier of such an affiliate), and/or information associated with,or based on, the search results. Such information can include, forexample, identifiers related to the search results (e.g., documentidentifiers or “docIDs”), scores related to the search results (e.g.,information retrieval (“IR”) scores), snippets of text extracted fromidentified documents (e.g., web pages), full text of identifieddocuments, feature vectors of identified documents, etc. In someimplementations, IR scores can be computed from, for example, dotproducts of feature vectors corresponding to a query and a document,page rank scores, and/or combinations of IR scores and page rank scores,etc.

In some implementations, the content management system 104 includes anauction process to select third party content items such as ads from thethird party content providers such as advertisers. For example, thirdparty content providers such as the advertisers can be permitted toselect, or bid, an amount they are willing to pay for each presentationof or interaction with (e.g., click of) a third party content item,e.g., a cost-per-click amount a third party content provider pays when,for example, a user clicks on a third party content item. Thecost-per-click can include a maximum cost-per-click, e.g., the maximumamount the third party content provider is willing to pay for each clickof an third party content item based on a keyword, e.g., a word or wordsin a query. Other bid types, however, can also be used. Based on thesebids, third party content items can be selected and ranked forpresentation.

The search service can combine the search results with one or more ofthe third party content items provided by the system 104. This combinedinformation can then be forwarded to the user devices 108 that requestedthe content. The search results can be maintained as distinct from thethird party content items, so as not to confuse the user between paidthird party content items and presumably neutral search results.

In some implementations, one or more publisher devices 106 can submitrequests for third party content items such as ads to a contentmanagement system such as content management system 104. The system 104responds by sending third party content items to the publisher device106 for placement on one or more of the publisher's web properties(e.g., websites and other network-distributed content) that are relevantto the web property. For example, if a publisher device 106 publishes asports-related web site, the content management system can providesports-related ads to the publisher device 106. In some implementations,the requests can instead be executed by devices associated with the user108, e.g., by the execution of a particular script when the publisher'sweb page is loading on a client device.

In some alternative implementations, an ad push model is used to providethird party content items such as ads from third party content providerssuch as advertisers. In an ad push model, ads can be pushed to idlescreens (e.g., of a mobile devices or particular applications) based onparticular criteria (e.g., the user's location).

In another example the referenced publisher can be a mobile applicationdeveloper. A mobile application is an application specifically designedfor operation on a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone). The mobileapplication can also include ads positioned within the content of themobile application. Similar to publishers, the ads can be received fromthe system 104 for placement in the mobile application when accessed bya user device (e.g., when a particular page of a mobile application isloaded on the mobile device).

For situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, the users may be provided with an opportunityto control the manner such information is collected with respect toprograms or features that may collect personal information (e.g.,information about a user's preferences or a user's current location).Users may also be informed of the accompanying limitations on thefunctionality of a service that may result from limiting access to suchpersonal information. In addition, certain data may be anonymized in oneor more ways before it is stored or used, so that personallyidentifiable information is removed. For example, a device identifierassociated with a user's identity may be anonymized so that nopersonally identifiable information can be determined for the user, or auser's geographic location may be generalized where location informationis obtained (such as to a city, zip code, or state level), so that aparticular location of a user cannot be determined.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system 200 for providing thirdparty content. In the system 200, a third party content provider such asadvertiser, using content provider devices 102A-102N (referred tocollectively as content provider devices 102) can submit one or morethird party content items 210A-210N such as ads (also known as“creatives”) (referred to collectively as content items 210) to acontent delivery system 204, and such content items 210 are stored in athird party content repository such as an content repository 202. Eachcontent item (e.g., content item 210A) includes one or more words,phrases, web links, and/or any other such element and/or component(e.g., images, video, audio, etc.) that are provided to one or more userdevices 108 (e.g., banner ads, text-only ads, image ads, audio ads,video ads, etc.). In certain implementations, one or more keywords (notshown) are associated with one or more creatives in order to enable theidentification and selection of pertinent content items for display to auser based on one or more search queries received from the user. Itshould also be noted that although content items 210 are describedherein as referring to individual content items, in certainimplementations content items 210 can refer to groups of content items,such as ad groups, campaigns, and/or categories.

One or more of the third party content items, such as content items 210,can be associated with one or more probability rank thresholds 220. Asdescribed and illustrated herein, such probability rank thresholds candictate the degree of certainty or likelihood with respect to aparticular geographic location that must be met in order for aparticular content item to be provided in response to a particularcontent request. That is, a content provider (e.g., an advertiser) candesignate a particular geographic location (e.g., a city, state,metropolitan area, zip code, etc.) with respect to which a content itemis to be directed, and an associated probability rank threshold canfurther dictate the degree of certainty or likelihood that must bedetermined with respect to a particular content request in order for thecontent item to be provided (or be eligible to be provided) in response.As described and illustrated herein, by implementing differentprobability rank thresholds, a content provider can dictate that acontent item be provided to a relatively broad range of locations (suchas by implementing a probability rank threshold that requires arelatively low probability that a content request has originated fromthe primary geographic location designated with respect to the contentitem) and/or that a content item be provided to a relativelynarrow/focused range of locations (such as by implementing a probabilityrank threshold that requires a relatively high probability that acontent request has originated from the primary geographic locationdesignated with respect to the content item).

One or more of the third party content items, such as content items 210,can also be associated with one or more location confidence thresholds230. As described and illustrated herein, such location confidencethresholds can dictate a minimum degree of likelihood that must be metwith respect to a determination that a content request originated from aparticular geographic location in order for content items designated fordelivery with respect to such a location to be eligible for delivery inresponse to such a content request. Implementing such a locationconfidence threshold can serve to prevent the delivery of content itemsin response to content requests that are highly unlikely to actuallyhave originated from the geographic location with respect to which suchcontent items are principally designated.

One or more of the third party content items, such as content items 210,can also be associated with one or more distance thresholds 240. Asdescribed and illustrated herein, such distance thresholds can dictatethat an associated content item only be provided in response to acontent request determined to be relatively most likely to haveoriginated from a geographic location that is within a defineddistance/radius from the geographic location with respect to which thecontent item is principally designated. Such distance thresholds canenable a content provider to both provide content items to a broaderrange of locations while also ensuring that such content items are notprovided in response to content requests having a substantial likelihoodof originating from far outside the geographic location with respect towhich such content items are principally designated.

Content delivery system 204 can also include a content presentationmanager 260. The content presentation manager 260 can identify contentitems, such as ads, in the content repository 202 to present at a userdevice 108, for example based on various criteria such as keywords in asearch query, web page content, context, location, ad financials (e.g.,cost per impression). For example, content presentation manager 260 canidentify one or more content items 210 associated with one or morekeywords that are similar and/or identical to the search query providedby the user, and such creatives can be provided to the user in anynumber of ad formats. It should be understood that in someimplementations, the content delivery system 204 can interact with asearch system, for example presenting content items, such as ads,alongside search results. In some implementations, the content deliverysystem 204 can interact with content publishers, for example, providingcontent items, such as ads, to publishers or users for presentationalong with web content, e-mail, or other content.

Content delivery system 204 can also include one or more contentdelivery logs 212. In certain implementations, content delivery log 212can maintain content item display histories, which maintains a record ofthe various instances of the display of respective content items, suchas ads, to respective users. Moreover, in certain implementationscontent delivery log 212 can maintain a record of one or more contentdelivery performance metrics that reflect the performance or success ofa particular third party content item such as an ad. For example, for agiven content item, content delivery log 212 can maintain a record ofthe ‘click through rate’ (CTR), reflecting the percentage of userspresented with a content item that click on or otherwise select thepresented content, though it should be understood that any number ofother performance metrics can be similarly tracked (e.g., conversionrate), as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

It should be noted that in situations where personal or identifyinginformation is collected, users may be provided with the ability tocontrol whether such information is collected, the extent to which suchinformation is collected, and/or the extent to which a user can beidentified based on it. For example, a user can select an option wherebyany personal or identifying information is immediately aggregated withthat of other users such that such information cannot subsequently beassociated with or otherwise identify the individual user.

Additionally, content delivery system 204 can include content selectionengine 206. The content selection engine 206 can select one or morethird party content items, such as content items 210, such as based onvarious determinations computed with respect to probability rankthresholds 220, location confidence thresholds 230, and/or distancethresholds 240, as described in detail herein. It should also beunderstood that in some implementations content selection engine 206 caninclude one or more processors configured by code to implement thefunctionality of the content selection engine that is being described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example method 300 for providing third partycontent. In some implementations, the method 300 can be performed by aprocessor executing instructions in a computer-readable storage medium.For example, the method 300 can be performed by the content deliverysystem 204 of FIG. 2 .

A network identifier is received (305). In certain implementations, sucha network identifier can be associated with a content request. Forexample, a content request such as a request for a content item (e.g.,an advertisement) can be received from a website or ‘app.’ Associatedwith such a content request is a network identifier that corresponds toa network location such as an IP address of a device from which thereferenced content request originated. For example, FIG. 4 depicts an IPaddress 410 (‘12.345.67.89’) of a device (such as user device 108A asshown in FIG. 2 ) from/in relation to which a particular content request405 (e.g., a request for a content item to present in parallel withsearch results provided in response to the submission of the query‘Broadway tickets’ into a search engine) originates.

A network identifier is processed (310). In certain implementations, anetwork identifier (such as the network identifier received at 305) isprocessed in order to determine one or more probabilities 420. Each ofthe probabilities can reflect a likelihood that the network location(such as the network identifier received at 305) corresponds to arespective geographic location. For example, any number of techniquescan be employed to determine one or more geographic locations to whichthe referenced network location can correspond, as are known to those ofordinary skill in the art. Such techniques can provide varying degreesof certainty or reliability with respect to the likelihood that anetwork location actually corresponds to a particular geographiclocation (referred to herein as probabilities). By way of illustration,FIG. 4 depicts that IP address ‘12.345.67.89’ is, for example, 40%likely to correspond to Long Island and 20% likely to correspond to NewJersey.

One or more probabilities are ranked (315). In certain implementations,each of the one or more probabilities (such as those determined at 310)can be ranked relative to one another. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 ,each of the probabilities determined with respect to IP address‘12.345.67.89’ can be ranked from highest (Long Island—40% probability)to lowest (Connecticut—5% probability).

One or more probabilities are compared with one or more probability rankthresholds (320). In certain implementations, each of the referencedprobability rank thresholds can be associated with one or more contentitems. That is, it can be appreciated that various content providers,such as advertisers, can have differing objectives with respect to therange of geographic locations to which such content providers wish toprovide content items such as advertisements. For example, one contentprovider may wish to focus the presentation of certain content itemsstrictly to a particular geographic location (e.g., only to New York),while it may be advantageous for another content provider to enablepresentation of content items to a broader range of geographiclocations. Thus, by way of illustration, one content provider can employa probability rank threshold with respect to a particular content item,dictating that the content item should only be presented (or should onlybe eligible for presentation) in response to content requests that canbe determined to originate from network locations that are relativelymost likely to be New York (i.e., New York is the highest rankedlocation probability). By way of further illustration, another contentprovider can employ a probability rank threshold with respect to anothercontent item, dictating that the content item should be presented (orshould only be eligible for presentation) in response to contentrequests that originate from network locations where New York isdetermined to be among the top three probable geographic locations. Itcan be appreciated that such a configuration is likely to increase orbroaden the exposure of such content items, as, under mostcircumstances, substantially more content requests are likely tooriginate from network locations where New York among the top threeprobable locations as opposed to only those content requests where NewYork is the highest ranked location probability.

Moreover, in certain implementations, one or more of the referencedprobability rank thresholds can be selected, such as based on one ormore aspects of a content request (such as the content requestassociated with the network identifier received at 305). For example, itcan be advantageous for a content provider to configure varyingprobability rank thresholds to be applied to various content items basedon aspects of the received content request. By way of illustration, acontent provider can configure a default probability rank threshold withrespect to all search queries that contain the term ‘Broadway tickets.’Such a default probability rank threshold can dictate that the contentprovider, in general, wishes for a particular content item (e.g., ancontent item for ‘Discount Broadway Tickets—Click Here!’) to bepresented (or to be eligible for presentation) based on a determinationthat New York is among the top three probable geographic locations thatcorrespond to the network location from which the query originated.However, such a content provider can further configure a concurrent,alternative probability rank threshold, to be applied specificallyrespect to the query ‘same day Broadway tickets.’ Such an alternativeprobability rank threshold can dictate that the content provider wishesfor a particular content item (e.g., the same ‘Discount BroadwayTickets—Click Here!’ ad) to be presented (or to be eligible forpresentation) based on a determination that New York is the highestranked location probability that corresponds to the network locationfrom which the query originated. In doing so, a content provider canaccount for the fact that it can be advantageous to implementdifferent/alternative probability rank thresholds in differentscenarios/circumstances (such as the receipt of different searchqueries).

Additionally, in certain implementations, one or more probabilities canbe compared with one or more location confidence thresholds. Such alocation confidence threshold can dictate, for example, a relative orabsolute threshold that a particular probability (such as a probabilitydetermined at 310) must meet or exceed in order to enable the geographiclocation associated with the probability to be eligible with respect toproviding one or more content items. In doing so, one or more of thereferenced probabilities (such as those determined at 310) that meet,exceed, or fall short of the one or more location confidence thresholdscan be identified. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a locationconfidence threshold 230 of 10% is imposed, dictating that only thosegeographic locations that correspond to probabilities greater than 10%are eligible with respect to providing one or more content items. It canthus be appreciated with reference to FIG. 4 that the geographiclocation of Connecticut which is associated with a probability of 5%does not meet location confidence threshold 230. As such, a content itemdirected for presentation to users in Connecticut would not be eligiblefor presentation in this case (on account of not meeting/exceeding thelocation confidence threshold). By way of further illustration, arelative location confidence threshold can be imposed, dictating, forexample that only the geographic locations that correspond to the threehighest ranked probabilities are eligible.

It should be noted that while many of the examples and illustrationsprovided herein describe various features, functionalities, aspects,etc., with respect to particular content items such as ads (such as aprobability rank threshold associated with a particular ad), suchimplementations are merely exemplary and are described as such in theinterests of simplicity and clarity. However, it should be understoodthat in other implementations the referenced features, functionalities,aspects, etc., can be employed with respect to any number of contentitems. For example, a content provider can associate a probability rankthreshold across an entire ad campaign (or multiple ad campaigns) thatincludes any number of ads. Additionally, while many of the geographiclocations referenced herein are illustrated with respect to cities,states, and/or metropolitan areas, it should be understood that anynumber of other methods of geographic reference (e.g., zip codes) aresimilarly contemplated.

One or more bids are adjusted (325). Such bids can correspond to bidsprovided in a content presentation auction, such as on behalf of acontent provider (such as an advertiser) and/or in relation to one ormore content items (such as ads). That is, as described herein, auctionscan be conducted, and bids can be received from/on behalf of variouscontent providers for the ability to provide content item(s) in responseto content requests (such as the content request referenced at 305, suchas a request for one or more advertisements). Accordingly, it can beadvantageous under certain circumstances for such bids to be adjusted ormodified by/on behalf of such content providers. For example, in certainimplementations, the referenced bids can be adjusted based on acomparison of one or more probabilities with the one or more locationconfidence thresholds. By way of illustration, for a content providerwishing to provide content that is primarily focused towards userslocated on Long Island, a location confidence threshold can beimplemented, dictating that in a scenario where a probability of anetwork location from which a content request originates (such as aprobability determined at 310) is determined to be greater than 50%likely to be Long Island (thus indicating, for example, a higher thanusual degree of certainty), a bid provided in an auction for theopportunity to provide content in response to such a content request canbe increased. For example, a bid ‘multiplier’ that can increase thedefault value of a bid provided in such an auction (for example,doubling the maximum bid amount) can be employed. Accordingly, in such ascenario, under ‘normal’ circumstances, such as where a probability of anetwork location from which a content request originates is less than50% likely to be Long Island (e.g., 35% likely to be Long Island), adefault bid amount can be provided, while in circumstances where it ismore than 50% likely that the network location corresponds to LongIsland, the default bid amount can be increased (by a fixed or relativeamount), thus reflecting this increased degree of certainty and theadditional value that such certainty has for the content provider. Byway of further illustration, such adjustments can be similarly employedto lower a default bid amount. For example, a location confidencethreshold can be implemented, dictating that in a scenario where aprobability of a network location from which a content requestoriginates (such as a probability determined at 310) is determined to beless than 30% likely to be Long Island (thus indicating, for example, arelatively low relative degree of likelihood that the content requestactually originated from Long Island), a bid provided in an auction forthe opportunity to provide content in response to such a content requestcan be reduced, such as by employing, for example, a bid ‘multiplier’that can decrease the default value of a bid provided in such an auction(e.g., reducing the maximum bid amount by half), reflecting this lesserdegree of certainty. It should also be noted that the illustratedlocation confidence thresholds are merely exemplary and any number ofadditional and/or alternative implementations are similarly contemplated(e.g., reducing a default bid amount in a scenario where the probabilitythat the network location from which a content request originatescorresponds to a particular location meets/exceeds a defined locationconfidence threshold).

One or more content items are selected (330). In certainimplementations, such content items (such as ads) can be selected basedon a comparison of one or more probabilities with one or moreprobability rank thresholds (such as the comparison at 320). That is,having compared any number of respective probability rank thresholds(each of which is associated with one or more content items such as ads)with various probabilities (each of which reflects a likelihood that thenetwork location associated with a content request corresponds to arespective geographic location), the content item (or content items)associated with a probability rank threshold that iscompatible/consistent with one or more of the probabilities associatedwith a particular content request can be selected. For example, withrespect to the probabilities depicted in FIG. 4 in relation to a contentrequest originating from the IP address ‘12.345.67.89,’ it can beappreciated that such probabilities are compatible/consistent with aprobability rank threshold dictating that a content item should bepresented (or should only be eligible for presentation) in relation tonetwork locations where New York is determined to be among the top threeprobable geographic locations. It can be similarly appreciated that theprobabilities depicted in FIG. 4 are not compatible/consistent with aprobability rank threshold dictating that a content item should bepresented (or should only be eligible for presentation) in relation tonetwork locations where New York is the highest ranked locationprobability. It should also be noted that, in certain implementations,the referenced content items can be selected based on the outcome of acontent presentation auction (in addition to based on the referencedcomparison of the determined probabilities with one or more probabilityrank thresholds). In such implementations, such an auction can beconducted, for example, among the various content items associated withrespective probability rank thresholds determined to be consistent withthe various probabilities determined based on the network locationassociated with a content request with respect to which the auction isconducted.

One or more content items are configured (335). In certainimplementations, the referenced content items can be configured based onone or more of the referenced probabilities (such as those determined at310). For example, the substance or content of the content item itself(such as the text of the ad in the case of a text ad) can be modified oradjusted based on various determined probabilities which reflect varyingdegrees of likelihood that the network location from which a contentrequest was received corresponds to one or more respective geographiclocations. By way of illustration, in certain implementations, thereferenced content items (such as those selected at 335) can be adjustedin relation to a geographic location, such as the geographic locationhaving the highest rank (as described at 315) and/or meeting/exceeding alocation confidence threshold (e.g., greater than 50% likelihood). FIG.5A depicts an exemplary text content item 210 (‘Come see a BroadwayShow!’) that can be adjusted by supplementing the original text withadditional location-specific content (‘Take the LIRR to Come see aBroadway Show!,’ as shown in FIG. 5B), such as in a scenario where LongIsland is determined to be the geographic location having the highestrank and/or in a scenario where the determined probability for LongIsland meets/exceeds a location confidence threshold (e.g. 50%). Indoing so, a content item that is otherwise applicable to a wider rangeof locations can be configured to be directed towards a particularlocation that is more likely to be the geographic location from whichthe content request originated.

One or more content items are provided (340). In certainimplementations, the referenced content items (such as those selected at330 and/or configured at 335) can be provided to a device (such as thedevice from which the network identifier received at 305 originated,such as user device 108A). For example, a selected content item, such asan ad, can be provided within a webpage or an app, such as in a mannerknown to those of ordinary skill in the art.

One or more content item interactions are analyzed (345). For example,historical data (such as that stored in content delivery log 212)reflecting, for example, various aspects of previous interactionsoccurring with respect to various content items (for example, clickthrough rates, conversion rates, etc.) can be analyzed. In certainimplementations, such content item interactions can be analyzed inrelation to the respective geographic locations with respect to whichthey occur. In doing so, one or more geographic locations, such as ageographic location associated with a content item interaction, can beidentified. By way of illustration, click through rates and/orconversion rates of one or more content items (such as ads) can beanalyzed to identify the various geographic locations in relation towhich such rates are highest. For example, FIG. 6 depicts severalexemplary click through rates for a particular content item (contentitem 210), sorted from highest to lowest with respect to the respectivegeographic locations from which such interactions originated.

One or more suggested adjustments to the one or more probability rankthresholds can be determined (350). In certain implementations, thereferenced adjustments can be determined based on one or more geographiclocations, such as geographic locations associated with content iteminteraction(s) (such as those identified at 345). Moreover, in certainimplementations the probability rank thresholds (in relation to whichthe referenced suggested adjustments are determined) are associated withone or more content items. For example, having identified (such as at345) that one or more geographic locations (e.g., Connecticut and NewJersey, as shown in FIG. 6 ) have historically been associated withrelatively high click through rates with respect to a particular contentitem (content item 210), if the probability rank threshold currentlyassociated with the content item is not consistent/compatible with suchresults (e.g., a probability rank threshold dictating that the contentitem is to be presented only in response to content requests thatoriginate from network locations where New York is the highest rankedlocation probability), a suggested adjustment, accounting for such adisparity, can be determined. In this case, a suggested adjustment tothe probability rank threshold can be generated, such as an adjustmentto the probability rank threshold to dictate that the content itemshould be presented (or should only be eligible for presentation) inresponse to content requests that originate from network locations whereNew York is determined to be among the top three probable geographiclocations. In doing so, such a content item can be exposed to a broaderrange of content requests, such as those potentially originating fromConnecticut and New Jersey (areas which have historically been shown toperform well with respect to the particular content item).

Moreover, in certain implementations a distance threshold can beapplied, such as in relation to the respective geographic locations thatcorrespond to one or more probabilities (such as the probabilitiesdetermined at 310). Such a distance threshold can, for example, reflecta distance from a geographic location that corresponds to a highestranked probability. That is, it can be appreciated that, under certaincircumstances, one or more of the probabilities determined with respectto a network location from which a content request originates maycorrespond to a geographic location that is significantly geographicallydisparate from the geographic area with respect to which a particularcontent item is intended to be provided. For example, FIG. 7 depicts acontent request originating from IP address ‘98.765.43.21’ which is, forexample, 40% likely to correspond to Los Angeles and 30% likely tocorrespond to New York. It can be appreciated that while a probabilityrank threshold such as has been described herein which dictates that acontent item should be presented (or should be eligible forpresentation) in relation to network locations where New York isdetermined to be among the top three probable geographic locations,applying such a probability rank threshold in this scenario would resultin the associated content item being presented despite the fact that itis (relatively) most likely that the content request originated from ageographic location that is considerably distant from New York (i.e.,Los Angeles). Accordingly, a suggested adjustment reflecting a distancethreshold can be generated and/or provided. Such a distance thresholdcan dictate that an associated content item only be provided in responseto a content request originating from a network location with respect towhich the highest ranked probability corresponds to a geographiclocation that is within a defined distance/radius from a particulargeographic location. Thus, continuing with the above example, inaddition to the referenced probability rank threshold (dictating thatthe content item is eligible for presentation where New York is amongthe top three probable geographic locations), a distance threshold canalso be employed, dictating that the highest ranked probability (even ifnot New York) must still be within a defined distance (e.g., 50 miles)of New York in order for the content item to be eligible forpresentation in response to a content request originating from such anetwork location. Accordingly, in the scenario depicted in FIG. 7 (whereLos Angeles is the highest ranked probability), the referenced contentitem would not be eligible for presentation, despite the fact that NewYork is within the referenced probability rank threshold. It can beappreciated that determining/employing suggested adjustments such asthis can enable a content provider to both provide content exposure to abroader range of locations while also ensuring that network locationsthat may have a significant likelihood of being far outside the locationrange that is of value/significance to the content provider can beavoided.

One or more suggested adjustments are provided (355). In certainimplementations, the referenced suggested adjustments (such as thosedetermined at 350) can be provided to a content provider, such as acontent provider associated with one or more content items associatedwith the probability rank thresholds in relation to which the suggestedadjustments are provided. For example, one or more notifications,recommendations, instructions, etc., reflecting such suggestedadjustments can be provided to such content providers. Moreover, incertain implementations such adjustments can be configured forimplementation in an automated fashion, thereby avoiding the need formanual input/approval on the part of the content provider.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in thisspecification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matterdescribed in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or inaddition, the program instructions can be encoded on anartificially-generated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generatedelectrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated toencode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computerstorage medium can be a source or destination of computer programinstructions encoded in an artificially-generated propagated signal. Thecomputer storage medium can also be, or be included in, one or moreseparate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, orother storage devices).

FIG. 8 shows an example of a computing device 800 and a mobile computingdevice that can be used to implement the techniques described in thepresent specification. The computing device 800 is intended to representvarious forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops,workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers,mainframes, and other appropriate computers. The mobile computing deviceis intended to represent various forms of mobile devices, such aspersonal digital assistants, cellular telephones, smart-phones, andother similar computing devices. The components shown here, theirconnections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to beexemplary only, and are not meant to limit implementations of thesubject matter described and/or claimed in this document.

The computing device 800 includes a processor 802, a memory 804, astorage device 806, a high-speed interface 808 connecting to the memory804 and multiple high-speed expansion ports 810, and a low-speedinterface 812 connecting to a low-speed expansion port 814 and thestorage device 806. Each of the processor 802, the memory 804, thestorage device 806, the high-speed interface 808, the high-speedexpansion ports 810, and the low-speed interface 812, are interconnectedusing various busses, and can be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate. The processor 802 can process instructionsfor execution within the computing device 800, including instructionsstored in the memory 804 or on the storage device 806 to displaygraphical information for a GUI on an external input/output device, suchas a display 816 coupled to the high-speed interface 808. In otherimplementations, multiple processors and/or multiple buses can be used,as appropriate, along with multiple memories and types of memory. Also,multiple computing devices can be connected, with each device providingportions of the necessary operations (e.g., as a server bank, a group ofblade servers, or a multi-processor system).

The memory 804 stores information within the computing device 800. Insome implementations, the memory 804 is a volatile memory unit or units.In some implementations, the memory 804 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. The memory 804 can also be another form of computer-readablemedium, such as a magnetic or optical disk.

The storage device 806 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 800. In some implementations, the storage device 806can be or contain a computer-readable medium, e.g., a computer-readablestorage medium such as a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, anoptical disk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similarsolid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices ina storage area network or other configurations. A computer programproduct can also be tangibly embodied in an information carrier. Thecomputer program product can also contain instructions that, whenexecuted, perform one or more methods, such as those described above.The computer program product can also be tangibly embodied in acomputer- or machine-readable medium, such as the memory 804, thestorage device 806, or memory on the processor 802.

The high-speed interface 808 manages bandwidth-intensive operations forthe computing device 800, while the low-speed interface 812 manageslower bandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of functions isexemplary only. In some implementations, the high-speed interface 808 iscoupled to the memory 804, the display 816 (e.g., through a graphicsprocessor or accelerator), and to the high-speed expansion ports 810,which can accept various expansion cards (not shown). In theimplementation, the low-speed interface 812 is coupled to the storagedevice 806 and the low-speed expansion port 814. The low-speed expansionport 814, which can include various communication ports (e.g., USB,Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet) can be coupled to one or moreinput/output devices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner,or a networking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through anetwork adapter.

The computing device 800 can be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it can be implemented as astandard server 820, or multiple times in a group of such servers. Inaddition, it can be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptopcomputer 822. It can also be implemented as part of a rack server system824. Alternatively, components from the computing device 800 can becombined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such as amobile computing device 850. Each of such devices can contain one ormore of the computing device 800 and the mobile computing device 850,and an entire system can be made up of multiple computing devicescommunicating with each other.

The mobile computing device 850 includes a processor 852, a memory 864,an input/output device such as a display 854, a communication interface866, and a transceiver 868, among other components. The mobile computingdevice 850 can also be provided with a storage device, such as amicro-drive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of theprocessor 852, the memory 864, the display 854, the communicationinterface 866, and the transceiver 868, are interconnected using variousbuses, and several of the components can be mounted on a commonmotherboard or in other manners as appropriate.

The processor 852 can execute instructions within the mobile computingdevice 850, including instructions stored in the memory 864. Theprocessor 852 can be implemented as a chipset of chips that includeseparate and multiple analog and digital processors. The processor 852can provide, for example, for coordination of the other components ofthe mobile computing device 850, such as control of user interfaces,applications run by the mobile computing device 850, and wirelesscommunication by the mobile computing device 850.

The processor 852 can communicate with a user through a controlinterface 858 and a display interface 856 coupled to the display 854.The display 854 can be, for example, a TFT (Thin-Film-Transistor LiquidCrystal Display) display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)display, or other appropriate display technology. The display interface856 can comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display 854 topresent graphical and other information to a user. The control interface858 can receive commands from a user and convert them for submission tothe processor 852. In addition, an external interface 862 can providecommunication with the processor 852, so as to enable near areacommunication of the mobile computing device 850 with other devices. Theexternal interface 862 can provide, for example, for wired communicationin some implementations, or for wireless communication in otherimplementations, and multiple interfaces can also be used.

The memory 864 stores information within the mobile computing device850. The memory 864 can be implemented as one or more of acomputer-readable medium or media, a volatile memory unit or units, or anon-volatile memory unit or units. An expansion memory 874 can also beprovided and connected to the mobile computing device 850 through anexpansion interface 872, which can include, for example, a SIMM (SingleIn Line Memory Module) card interface. The expansion memory 874 canprovide extra storage space for the mobile computing device 850, or canalso store applications or other information for the mobile computingdevice 850. Specifically, the expansion memory 874 can includeinstructions to carry out or supplement the processes described above,and can include secure information also. Thus, for example, theexpansion memory 874 can be provided as a security module for the mobilecomputing device 850, and can be programmed with instructions thatpermit secure use of the mobile computing device 850. In addition,secure applications can be provided via the SIMM cards, along withadditional information, such as placing identifying information on theSIMM card in a non-hackable manner.

The memory can include, for example, flash memory and/or NVRAM memory(non-volatile random access memory), as discussed below. In someimplementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier. The computer program product contains instructionsthat, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as thosedescribed above. The computer program product can be a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 864, the expansion memory874, or memory on the processor 852. In some implementations, thecomputer program product can be received in a propagated signal, forexample, over the transceiver 868 or the external interface 862.

The mobile computing device 850 can communicate wirelessly through thecommunication interface 866, which can include digital signal processingcircuitry where necessary. The communication interface 866 can providefor communications under various modes or protocols, such as GSM voicecalls (Global System for Mobile communications), SMS (Short MessageService), EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), or MMS messaging (MultimediaMessaging Service), CDMA (code division multiple access), TDMA (timedivision multiple access), PDC (Personal Digital Cellular), WCDMA(Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), CDMA2000, or GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service), among others. Such communication can occur, forexample, through the transceiver 868 using a radio-frequency. Inaddition, short-range communication can occur, such as using aBluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). In addition, aGPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 870 can provideadditional navigation- and location-related wireless data to the mobilecomputing device 850, which can be used as appropriate by applicationsrunning on the mobile computing device 850.

The mobile computing device 850 can also communicate audibly using anaudio codec 860, which can receive spoken information from a user andconvert it to usable digital information. The audio codec 860 canlikewise generate audible sound for a user, such as through a speaker,e.g., in a handset of the mobile computing device 850. Such sound caninclude sound from voice telephone calls, can include recorded sound(e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.) and can also include soundgenerated by applications operating on the mobile computing device 850.

The mobile computing device 850 can be implemented in a number ofdifferent forms, as shown in the figure. For example, it can beimplemented as a cellular telephone 880. It can also be implemented aspart of a smart-phone 882, personal digital assistant, or other similarmobile device.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichcan be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms machine-readable storage medium andcomputer-readable storage medium refer to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablestorage medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readablesignal. The term machine-readable signal refers to any signal used toprovide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. Amachine-readable storage medium does not include a machine-readablesignal.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor)for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provideinput to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyimplementation or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures that may be specific to particular embodiments of particularimplementations. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be describedabove as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed assuch, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some casesbe excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

It should be noted that use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,”“third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not byitself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim elementover another or the temporal order in which acts of a method areperformed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claimelement having a certain name from another element having a same name(but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification have been described. Other embodiments are within thescope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in theclaims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirableresults. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanyingfigures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, orsequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certainimplementations, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to select content, comprising:receiving, by a content management system server, a content requestcomprising a network identifier, the network identifier indicating anetwork location of a client computing device from which the contentrequest originated; determining, by the content management systemserver, based on the network identifier, one or more locationprobabilities that indicate a likelihood that the network locationcorresponds to a respective geographic location of the client computingdevice; receiving, by the content management system server from athird-party content provider, a third-party content item forpresentation at the client computing device; determining that the one ormore location probabilities differ from a location confidence thresholdassociated with a default bid amount; and automatically adjusting, bythe content management system server, the default bid amount based onthe one or more location probabilities differing from the locationconfidence threshold.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein automaticallyadjusting the default bid amount includes increasing the default bidamount for a certain geographic location by a fixed amount in responseto determining that the location probability for the certain geographiclocation exceeds the location confidence threshold.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the default bid amount includesincreasing the default bid amount for a certain geographic location by arelative amount in response to determining that the location probabilityfor the certain geographic location exceeds the location confidencethreshold.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting thedefault bid amount includes lowering the default bid amount for acertain geographic location by a fixed amount in response to determiningthat the location probability for the certain geographic location islower than the location confidence threshold.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein automatically adjusting the default bid amount includes loweringthe default bid amount for a certain geographic location by a relativeamount in response to determining that the location probability for thecertain geographic location is lower than the location confidencethreshold.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the networkidentifier includes determining an Internet Protocol (IP) addressassociated with the content request.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: using the adjusted bid amount in a content presentationauction.
 8. A method to select content, comprising: receiving, by acontent management system server, a content request comprising a networkidentifier, the network identifier indicating a network location of aclient computing device from which the content request originated;determining, by the content management system server, based on thenetwork identifier, one or more location probabilities that indicate alikelihood that the network location corresponds to a respectivegeographic location of the client computing device; receiving, by thecontent management system server from a third-party content provider, amodifiable third-party content item for presentation at the clientcomputing device, the modifiable third-party content item related to ageographic location; determining, by the content management systemserver, that a location probability, of the one or more locationprobabilities, corresponding to the geographic location exceeds athreshold value; and in response to determining that the locationprobability exceeds the threshold value: prior to the modifiablethird-party content item being provided to the client computing device,adjusting the modifiable third-party content item to include additionalinformation related to the geographic location, and providing themodifiable third-party content item that was adjusted to the clientcomputing device for presentation via the client computing device. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the modifiable third-partycontent includes: supplementing an original text of the third-partycontent item with additional content specific to the geographiclocation.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: applying adistance threshold in relation to the respective geographic location ofthe client computing device.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein thedistance threshold comprises a distance from a geographic location thatcorresponds to a highest ranked location probability.
 12. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: selecting the threshold value based on oneor more aspects of the content request.
 13. A system to select content,comprising a content management system server comprising one or moreprocessors coupled to memory, the content management system serverconfigured to: receive a content request comprising a networkidentifier, the network identifier indicating a network location of aclient computing device from which the content request originated;determine, based on the network identifier, one or more locationprobabilities that indicate a likelihood that the network locationcorresponds to a respective geographic location of the client computingdevice; receive, from a third-party content provider, a third-partycontent item for presentation at the client computing device; andautomatically adjusting, based on the one or more location probabilitiesdiffering from a location confidence threshold, at least one of (i) adefault bid amount associated with the presentation of the third-partycontent item, the location confidence threshold associated with thedefault bid amount, or (ii) prior to the third-party content item beingprovided to the client computing device, the third-party content item toinclude additional information related to the geographic location. 14.The system of claim 13, wherein the content management system server isfurther configured to: adjust the default bid amount by increasing thedefault bid amount for a certain geographic location by a fixed orrelative amount in response to determining that the location probabilityfor the certain geographic location exceeds the location confidencethreshold.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the content managementsystem server is further configured to: adjust the default bid amount bylowering the default bid amount for a certain geographic location by afixed or relative amount in response to determining that the locationprobability for the certain geographic location is lower than thelocation confidence threshold.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein thecontent management system server is further configured to: supplement anoriginal text of the third-party content item with additional contentspecific to the geographic location.
 17. The system of claim 13, whereinthe content management system server is further configured to: apply adistance threshold in relation to the respective geographic location ofthe client computing device.
 18. The system of claim 13, wherein thedistance threshold comprises a distance from a geographic location thatcorresponds to a highest ranked location probability.
 19. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the content management system server is furtherconfigured to: determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address associatedwith the content request.